News

The genesis of the Radio Society of Sri Lanka

Published

3 years ago

2023/09/10

Cecil de Mel

The Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) existed as an as association since 1950, but it was a very closed group and membership was restricted only to invitees. That was entirely due to its colonial past, as it was started by the white planters who wanted to contact Colombo, at a time when telephone communications were not advanced and one had to wait sometimes up to eight hours for a trunk call.

Licenses to operate and call signs were given to white men and others of social standing with links to the white rulers. After World War II, things began to change, as war surplus equipment, unused and in their original packing, began to be available on the pavements, at unbelievable prices. Our veterans say that a Colins transceiver could be bought for 50 rupees and 807 valves at a mere five cents each.

This created an avenue for locals to take an interest in radio, firstly as short wave listeners, which led to experiments in transmitting. But it was still illegal to operate without a valid license and call sign. This was the biggest obstacle, as membership of the society was by invitation, although by then an examination structure was in place.

An entrant had to pass the technical examination, pass a Morse Code test in sending and receiving at 12 words per minute, after which a security clearance was mandatory, before considering you for the grant of a license and call sign.

Those were the hurdles before us and many who had licenses obliquely prevented others from getting it, by restricting access to the fraternity of radio hams. There have even been instances of petitioning against some who had passed the examinations, on grounds of social standing and family backgrounds and alleged connections with anti – government organizations.

That was the background and various attempts even to register the Society were opposed by those opinion makers as it would have led to a demolition of their grip on the Society. As time went by things began to change with the arrival of the D A R C, (of West Germany) Who conducted a 21 day residential course in Electronics & Amateur Radio, at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.

I had the fortune to participate in this course and many others at different levels of competence received certificates. Still, we had to pass the technical examinations conducted by the Telecommunications Department, in order to receive our licenses. That was the situation in 1978, when I received my 4S7CD call sign.

From 1980 to 1984, I was employed at the Bahrain National Gas Company, ‘BANAGAS’ Bahrain, and obtained a reciprocal license and call sign A9XDH / A92DH. I can remember picking up a brand new 807 transmitting valve from the Junk box of ARAB, for future experimentation with older devices, which became very useful later on

Sometime in 1990, when OM Ernie 4S7EP became President, he persuaded me to take an active part in RSSL. I was appointed Treasurer, and assigned the task of Incorporating RSSL as a legal entity. Some say that he roped me in to provide him transport for attending meetings as by that time I had a four wheeler.

It took one whole year to deliberate on every clause, letter, comma, and full-stop to reach achieve a unanimous consensus, and that was the day I breathed a sigh of relief, as I had never toiled in this manner as a Chartered Company Secretary.

The opposition came not for want of skill or competence, but from the needs of some, with twisted minds to throw a spanner in the works and make it crash altogether. I had to steer clear of every such individual, or pressure group, and fortunately we had a long standing past President, OM John 4S7JA, who gave me every encouragement.

The final document of incorporation was greatly acclaimed as a perfect blueprint for future expansion of the amateur service, by professional observers. I have taken all steps to record accurately what took place after 1999, when Ranjit 4S7RR ceased to be President.

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Business

Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum strengthens economic ties between Sri Lanka and Vietnam

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

Marking a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam, the Sri Lanka– Vietnam Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum was successfully held on Friday (08) at the Hilton Colombo.

The Forum, jointly organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, was held in parallel with the State Visit of President Tô Lâm of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The event was attended by President Tô Lâm and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The Forum underscored the importance of the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two countries and reflected the shared commitment to expanding economic cooperation.

The primary objective of the Forum was to further strengthen bilateral economic ties by focusing on key priorities including the expansion of trade, promotion of investment and enhancement of tourism cooperation. The event also provided an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration, strengthen business-to-business engagement and facilitate greater market access by bringing together senior government officials, entrepreneurs and industry leaders from both countries on a common platform.

During the Forum, direct air connectivity between Colombo and Ho Chi Minh City was officially launched. The new services, operated by Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air, are expected to further strengthen relations between the two nations and their people.

Six Memoranda of Understanding covering key areas of cooperation were also signed during the Forum. In addition, a notable development was the establishment of the Sri Lanka–Vietnam Business Council under the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Alongside the Forum, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board organised a business networking session, providing Sri Lankan and Vietnamese entrepreneurs with the opportunity to engage directly with one another. The event received strong participation from the private sectors of both countries, with businesses expressing keen interest in expanding trade and establishing resilient supply chains.

Representing Sri Lanka at the event were Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Environment , Dr. Dhammika Patabendi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development ,Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation, Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Thilaka Jayasundara, Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, K.A.Vimalenthirarajah, Chairman of the Export Development Board Mangala Wijesinghe along with several other dignitaries and officials.

Representing Vietnam were Politburo Member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Organisation Commission , Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Politburo Member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Commission for Policies and Strategies , Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Politburo Member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Phan Van Giang, Politburo Member and Minister of Public Security, Luong Tam Quang and Politburo Member and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Le Hoai Trung, among others.

(PMD)

News

Accelerate projects related to resolving the public’s drinking water issues – President Instructs Officials

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to promptly identify and commence the projects required to resolve the drinking water issues that have become a major concern for the public.

The President also instructed officials to formulate plans with close attention to the current needs of the people, pointing out that the inability to ensure an adequate supply of drinking water has given rise to numerous problems affecting the public.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks during a discussion held on Friday (08) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat with relevant officials to review the current status of national drinking water, community water supply and wastewater management projects, the progress and requirements of budget allocations, as well as future plans.

The President further instructed officials to submit a report indicating the projects that could be identified and commenced immediately, the required allocations and the expected completion dates. He stressed that financial constraints should not be treated as an obstacle and directed officials to prepare project plans and submit the necessary funding requests accordingly.

He also instructed that, rather than depending on foreign loans, greater attention should be given to completing projects as far as possible using domestic funds. In addition, he directed that staff required for project planning be recruited on contract basis.

The President also emphasised the importance of utilising capital expenditure allocations within the same year for the relevant projects. He pointed out that failure to do so would result in adverse consequences such as additional project costs, the loss of benefits from the funds already spent and the need to allocate capital provisions again in the following year for the same projects.

During the discussion, the President separately reviewed the projects being implemented and planned to resolve drinking water issues faced by people in the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Monaragala, Kandy, Gampola, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Ampara, Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa, along with the progress achieved and the issues that had arisen in implementing them.

Officials also informed the President that deteriorating main water pipelines had resulted in insufficient water capacity being supplied to residents in the Colombo District. They further presented plans to address these issues, while the President highlighted the need for close coordination and systematic planning between the Road Development Authority and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board in carrying out these activities.

The President also instructed officials to take steps to commence the Weli Oya Reservoir Project next year in order to support flood control and meet drinking water requirements in the Colombo District.

Attention was also drawn to the North Central Main Canal and North Western Canal projects. Reviewing the progress of projects being implemented to address the severe drinking water shortage faced by people in the areas of Welikanda, Medirigiriya and Lankapura, the President instructed officials to expedite the completion of projects that would not incur significant costs by using domestic funds.

The President further pointed out the importance of implementing all projects in a highly systematic and organised manner and ensuring that their benefits are delivered to the public. Although certain projects had been suspended midway due to priority being given to essential projects, he stressed that all projects were aimed at addressing the needs of the people and should therefore be carried out in a planned and methodical manner.

Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Dr Susil Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena, Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply T.B. Sarath, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development, Upali Samarasinghe, Members of Parliament including Samantha Ranasinghe, Nishantha Samaraweera, Sunil Biyanwila, Manjula Suraweera Arachchi, Shantha Padmakumara Subasinghe, Wasantha Piyathissa, Roshan Akmeemana, Ilan Kumaran, M. Jegadeeswaran, and S. Thilakanadan and Kandasamy Prabhu, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply L.B. Kumudulal, Director General of the Department of National Budget Jude Nilukshan, Chairman of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board Engineer A.M.P.C.P. Bandara, Chairman of the Water Resources Board R.M.S. Bandara, Director General of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka H.M.J.K. Herath and several other state officials were also present at the occasion.

(PMD)

News

President of Vietnam and delegation departs Sri Lanka

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

Tô Lâm, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and his delegation departed Sri Lanka on Friday (08) night from the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, successfully concluding the State visit undertaken at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The visit by the Vietnamese President and the accompanying delegation further strengthened the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, while paving the way for numerous mutual benefits for the peoples of both countries.

This marked the first visit to Sri Lanka by a Vietnamese President in 15 years. The visit also comes at a significant moment as Sri Lanka continues its forward journey towards economic stability under the present Government.

Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunnetti, was present at the airport to bid farewell to the Vietnamese President and the delegation.

President’s Media Division (PMD)